It is known to have a peripheral accessory detected by a computer and have the computer select, based on accessory type and when available, the appropriate driver to communicate with the accessory. This works provided, the computer knows the function of the accessory a priori and one or more application programs used by the computer has generic knowledge of the function of the accessory. For example, upon connecting a printer to a typical computer, the computer will discover the new hardware or accessory, understand from hardware type information that it is a printer and select, when available, an appropriate driver for that device from user supplied media or from drivers included with the basic operating system. The driver translates generic printing commands from, for example a word processor, to commands specific to that make and model of printer. A similar process takes place for other peripheral devices such as scanners, fax machines, memory cards, keyboards, etc.
In those cases, when the computer does not have prior knowledge corresponding to the type of accessory being attached and access to the proper driver basic capabilities of that accessory, the accessory will not be able to operate appropriately. This places an undesirable limitation on those who develop, sell and use new accessories that were not contemplated when the computer or other host device, such as a wireless communication device, was built or application program developed.